Portrait in Wax: The Anatomical Models of Anna Morandi Manzolini

Bologna was a city with a long history of anatomical study, with the first anatomical dissection in the modern world taking place there in 1315. After that, dissection was carried out regularly in the city, in a manner that combined education and ritual. In the eighteenth century, a new method of demonstrating anatomy rose to prominence in Bologna: using wax to replicate what could be seen in dissection. One leading practitioner of this art was a woman named Anna Morandi Manzolini, showing how the particular circumstances in Bologna in this period were conducive to supporting both the study of anatomy and the talents of women.